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(Specimens.)

J. S. GOLDSMITH.

CHECK TICKET FCR MESSENGER SERVICE. No. 337,762. Patented Mar. 9, 1886.

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ilNiTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. GOLDSMITH, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

CHECK-TICKET FOR MESSENGER SERVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 337,762, dated March 9,1886.

Y Application filed June E), 1885. Serial No. 168,169. (Specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. GoLDsMIrH, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Check-Tickets for Messenger Service,of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of this invention is to prevent or repress certain fraudulent practices Io on the part of dishonest messengers and clerks in the employ of district-telegraph companies and like messenger agencies.

Another object is to adapt one series of tickets for economical use in all the several varieties of service usually provided for.

This invention consists, first,in an improved messenger-ticket provided with permanent and conspicuous timecontrol characters in distinctive style, representing a shorttime 2o period, as indicated by ordinary time-pieces,

on the face of each suitable printed matter and blanks common to all, and provided, serially, with such time-control characters representing successive uniform short-timeperiods, those for each time period being printed on more or less 3o numerous tickets, the whole series being also consecutively numbered to prevent substituting, destroying, or suppressing tickets with` out detection; and, thirdly, in a messengerticket having, in addition to ordinary printed 3 5 matter and blanks, an eXtra blank to receive the entry Paid or Charge, or a symbol representing the same, together with timecontrol characters and a serial number, as aforesaid, and provided,further, with a paster,

4o of distinctive color, the latter indicating the proper entry in said eXtra blank, and having on its face printed matter appropriate to calls from a particular call-box,whereby one series of tickets is adapted to take the place of four kinds of tickets heretofore used, as hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

A sheet of drawings accompanies this specication as part thereof.`

Figure 1 of the drawings is a face view of a 5o messenger-ticket, illustrating the lirst part of this invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are face views of illustrative pasters 5 and Fig. a is a face view of another ticket of the series to which the former belongs, provided with one of said pasters, and with its blanks filled.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

In carrying out this invention I print tickets T T, of suitable paper, with appropriate ordinary permanent matter, to which I superadd, in distinctive style, conspicuous timecontrol characters a I), indicating on each ticket a period of time to which its'issue for use is limited, and, furthermore, preferably, consecutively number all the tickets of each series, as represented at c d. Said ordinary permanent matter in the examples consists of the words Manhattan District Telegraph Co. Date Messenger Called Returned Occupied Expenses Where senty Received by Please sign your name,

with the lines which separate and supplement the same.

In addition to the blanksindicated by spacemarks in the foregoing quotation, a row, e, of blanks is provided under said headings, Messenger, Called, Returned, Occupied, and Expenses and an eXtra heading blank, f, in line with said headings to receive the word Paid, or the word (haige,77 or symbols representing the same, respectively, according to whether the ticket is used as a cash-ticket or a charge-ticket.

To furthermore adapt one and the saine series of tickets for use as cash-tickets and charge-tickets, I combine therewith two series of pasters, P Q, of different contrasting colors-red and yellow, for example-indicating, respectively, cash and charge, provided with call-numbers g, district-numbers h,folionumbers i, and the corresponding names and addresses of lessors of call-boxes with Whom accounts are kept, including on cash-ticket pasters P the names, Ste., of hotels, banks, a-nd the like, furnished with public call-boxes. The backs le of these pasters are provided with adhesive gum, so that by simply dampening them on a wet sponge they are prepared for application to the tickets. On receiving a call the appropriate paster is applied to a ticket, as represented in Fig. 4, and the latter is then ready for use.

Heretofore cash and charge have been in- ICO dicated by color; but tickets of each color were. provided with the ordinary perma-nent uses charge-tickets.

vtime-control characters a b` and consecutive numbers c d, and simplifies the ticket system.

In using ordinary messenger-tickets frauds have heretofore been successfully practiced and concealed in ways examples of which I will now set forth, referring for illustration to the tickets' T T2, which for this purpose must be supposed tobe without said characters a b and numbers c d.

A hasv an account with the company and He calls a messenger at nine oclock, and dismisses him so that he I ishould return to the district office at fivemin- 25v utes past ten, having authorized an expenditure of twenty cents for car-fare. The time 'occupied is one hour and five minutes, and charged at thirty cents per hour, plus ex` penses, the charge against him is fifty-three cents. Now, the clerk makes no entry under Called until the messengers return. Then if no detective has been in he enters Called, 9.20; returned, 10.05; occupied, expenses,

-30; charge, 53, and pockets ten'centstrusting to the identity of the amount charged with the correct amount to hide the fraud on Y. the company; or he may enter an earlier hour under Called/7 and charge for time not occupied by the customer, thus defrauding the latter in order to bring up the apparent gross earnings of the office, so as to cover other I pilfering; or the messenger, for the same purn pose or purposeless, may loiter on his way,

box.

and thus defraud the customer of both time and money.

B is a transient patron using a public call- The messenger who responds carries, consequently, a cash-ticket, T2 P, Fig. 4.. He

v`is called at 9.20, for example, and returned at eleven oclock, having been occupied one hour and forty minutes, for which Bis charged by the messenger fifty cents, as noted in Fig. 4. The

messenger is, instead, entered by the clerk as l called at ten o clock, for example, and twenty cents', falsely entered under expenses, is pocketed or divided with the messenger, the latter y, being generally iu collusion with the clerk.

Pilfering is accomplished and hidden in numerous other ways by false entries under Returned and Occupied These can the tickets. The characters shown 9 to 9.15 and 9.15to 9.30,7 represent successive pcriods of fifteen minutes each. The full series begi-nswith 12 to 12.15 and ends with 11.45 to 12, corresponding with the quarterLhour divisions of o1 dinary twelve-hour time-pieces. Longer or shorter periods could be adopted; but they would in all cases be uniform, and fifteen minutes is believed tobe the best limit for the use in question. A suicient number of tickets would bear each imprint-9 to 9.15, for example-to meet the `estimated maximum demand or capacity of the oice during the period, and the respective sets would be replenished each day, for example. Said ordinaryperm'anent matterbeing printed in black, the characters a b would preferably be printed with ink of red or some other contrasting color7 and two colors-red and green, for examplemay distinguish the hours before 'noon from those after noon, or day hours from night hours in adouble series; but such complications are deemed unnecessary and unl desirable. Owing to the addition of said characters ab the messenger and the caller aref* both notied immediately of the beginningk of the time to be charged for. Said characters themselves indicate the time within a quarter of an hour at most, and call attention to the entry under Called,7 which is the entry they control, as aforesaid; consequently there can be no overeharge nor undercharge at this end of the service ofthe messenger, and with the reception of the tickets controlled in any approved way there can be no hiding of pilfering in the manner aforesaid, and loitering on the part of the messenger will be prevented or detected, ythus insuring prompt serviceand correct returns. 'The above depends, ofcourse, to some extent on inability on the part .of vthe clerk to substitute one ticket for another, or destroy or suppress tickets,without detection. This can be guarded against by simply counting the tickets and charging the clerk with a given number; but it-is accomplished ,more effectively by said consecutive numbers c d, a a number appearing on each ticket different from those of every other ticket in the series,

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so that the clerk can be held strictly accountable for each ticket issued to him, and the exact time at which a missing ticket was issued can be ascertained by ascertaining the timecontrol characters thereon, so as to aid in investigating its loss. printed on the tickets by ordinary numberingmachines, all the tickets of every kind in the series originally and those added from time to time being consecutively numbered.

My improved check-tickets are primarily designed for use in connection with my Ap paratus for Controlling the Issue of Time-4 Checks, and Apparatus forReceivingTime Checks, and as part of my Time-Check System, which are described and claimed under th'ese titles in previousl specifications forming part of applications for Letters Patent of the United States filed and serially numbered as These numbers are follows, viz: December 8, 1884, No. 149,798; December 8, 1884, No. 149, 7 99, and March 2l, 1885, No. 159,650.

Said apparatuses and system form no part of the present invention; but reference is made to said specifications thereof for means for preventing the issue of other than the correct ticket at each call aud means for insuring correct entries under Returned and Occupied, as aforesaid.

Having thus described my said improvement in check-tickets for messenger service, I claim as my invention and desire to patent under this specific-ation:

1. A messenger-ticket having on its face suitable ordinary printed matter,including the heading Called, and blanks for entries thereon, including a blank under said heading in which to express the beginning of the period of service to ,be charged for, and provided With permanent and conspicuous time-control characters, as 9 to 9.15, in distinctive style, representing a short-time period, as indicated by ordinary time-pieces, to which its issue for use is limited, for controlling entries in said blank under Called, and thereby preventing fraud, substantially as herein specified.

2. A series of messenger-tickets having on the face of each suitable printed matter and blanks common to all, and provided serially in distinctive style with permanent and conspicuous time control characters, as 9 to 9.15, 9.15 to 9.30, and so on, representing successive uniform short-time periods to which the issue of the respective tickets is limited, the time-control characters for each time period being printed on more or less numerous tickets, the Whole series being also consecutively numbered, substantially as herein specified, for the purposes set forth.

3. A messenger-ticket having on its face suitable or ordinary printed 1natter,and blanks for entries thereon, together with an extra heading-blank,f, to receive the entry Paid 7 or Gharge, or a symbol representing the same, and provided with permanent and conspicuous time-control characters in distinctive style, consecutive numbers, and a paster of distinctive color, the latter indicating the proper entry in said blank f and having ou its face printed matter appropriate to calls from a particular call-box, substantially as herein specified.

Dated at Brooklyn this 4th day of June, 1885.

JOHN S. GOLDSMITH.

Yitnessesz L. E. ROBERT, LAMERT GoLDsMITH. 

